


There's no future left for you and me

by bilkandbookies



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Background Relationships, Bisexual Yamaguchi Tadashi, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Light Angst, Long-Distance Friendship, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Mutual Pining, Self-Discovery, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:29:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27320020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bilkandbookies/pseuds/bilkandbookies
Summary: Yamaguchi Tadashi never considered leaving Tsukishima Kei’s (his best friend and long time crush) side for any reason. But when Tadashi receives a full ride for his application essay and academics to attend college, he moves 6,180 miles to the other side of the world. Not only is Tadashi nervous about speaking English 24/7 and having to decide what to take, he is also nervous to be without Tsukishima. As Tadashi slowly starts to flourish in his new surroundings, Tsukishima starts to drown. Without Tadashi, Tsukishima begins to realize there might have been something more to their friendship. But what can he do now? Tadashi is 12 hours behind and on the other side of the world. He’s gone, right?
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Shimizu Kiyoko/Yachi Hitoka, Terushima Yuuji/Yamaguchi Tadashi, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 6
Kudos: 26





	1. I caught a glimpse, I’m going after it

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I just wanted to say that I have no idea how often I will be updating because of school. I've had this idea for a while and I was tired of waiting for someone else to write it. Enjoy!

Tadashi sighs as he finally sits down after his long day. Technically, today was his last day in Japan so he spent all day saying goodbye to his friends. He started his day off by sleeping in till about 11:30, because he stayed up late packing, then met Yachi and Tsukki for lunch. Lunch was awkward at first, with no one knowing what to say, but the graduated friends ended up talking for hours. They spent their time walking around, eating, and reminiscing over the years.

Many people thought that Tadashi would end up dating Yachi in high school, but they stayed friends. Mainly because they had bonded over having crushes on people who would never return their feelings. Yachi had a crush on her senpai who had graduated two years earlier and Tadashi had a massive crush on Tsukki. Tadashi thought he would have the courage to confess to Tsukki by his second year of highschool. Then he thought he would have the courage his third year. The stress of being captain however, took more of a toll than Tadashi was expecting. Now he had accepted that he would never confess and that he would have to move on. So moving across the world would do it, right? 

Since the friends spent so much time talking at lunch, they decided to get dinner as well. This time they talked about their plans for the next year. They all knew Yachi and Tsukki planned to attend college. Then again so did Tadashi, but he chose a much different path. Yachi planned to study art and design and hopefully attend the college of her girlfriend. That’s right, Yachi had confessed to her crush, now girlfriend, Kiyoko and they were going strong. Tsukki was planning to study paleontology and he was still wondering if he should continue with volleyball.

Tadashi had received a full ride to a college in the United states. 

And he accepted it.

~5 months ago~

Tadashi knew the risks, but he didn’t care anymore. He had been putting off his college application essay for weeks. As the deadline approached, Tadashi had no clue what he was going to write about. Not only did he have to write about what had shaped him as a person, he had to write it in english. That’s right. Tadashi decided to apply to a college in the United States. He doesn’t exactly remember when or how he made this decision, but he knew that he needed to do something different or it was going to kill him. What ‘it’ was, he doesn’t know. 

So there Tadashi was. Sitting at his desk staring at the essay prompts with an empty brain. There was nothing specifically special about Tadashi’s life. He didn’t have horrible struggles or feel like he learned anything that really changed him as a person. He considered writing about being the volleyball team's captain his third year, but that was unoriginal and overused. He scrubs his face with his hands and lets out a groan of frustration. Why did I have to do this? Why couldn’t I just stay here and not worry about this stupid essay and stupid english and stupid everything. Tadashi thinks. He lets his head fall onto his desk and stays there for a while, not wanting to face that he was running out of time. What brings him back to reality is a buzz from his phone.

Tadashi lifts his head and sees the message on his screen. It’s from Tsukki. 

16:06 Tsukki~: Are you busy?

That’s when it clicks. That’s what I should write about. Tadashi thinks. Inspiration blooms in Tadashi’s mind and he begins typing like he will be burned if he doesn’t. That’s how it feels. If Tadashi doesn’t write down these words he will never say them, and Tadashi can’t risk that. After thirty minutes he has his first draft done. It’s very rough but he knows he can make it work. He immediately reads it again, editing as he goes. He fixes grammar and uses google translate to improve his english.. Probably shouldn’t but I don’t have anyone who could help right now. He thinks. Tadashi is above average in english solely because he started to read books and fanfiction in english. He has picked up a lot of funny sayings that don’t make sense in japanese and those he would forget to use in conversation. Tadashi is almost fluent in reading. Naturally he believes this will be the same for speaking. At least I hope. Tadashi thinks.

Tadashi spends over an hour pouring his heart into this essay. It’s not perfect, but it’s good enough to bring to his advisor. Thankfully, his advisor is Takeda. He wouldn’t shame Tadashi for what he had written in this essay. Everything that Tadashi wrote in this essay was all that he’s held back for four years(Well it could have been more but he’s not sure where his fascination with Tsukki turned into something more). It’s what makes him who he is. He lets out a long breath sitting back in his chair. FInished. He thinks with relief. Suddenly Tadashi remembers what had inspired him to start the essay. He picks up his phone to find several messages from Tsukki waiting for him.

16:27 Tsukki~: I will take that as a yes

16:31 Tsukki~: Unless you are ignoring me

16:33 Tsukki~: If you are that’s fine 

16:35 Tsukki~: I just wanted to let you know you can come over tonight

16:46 Tsukki~: I guess I should wait

Tsukki’s texts bring a smile to Tadashi’s face. Sometimes his best friend was too funny. He wastes no time responding

17:23 yamaguchi: Sorry Tsukki~!

17:23 yamaguchi: I was writing my essay for that college, but I’m done now!

17:24 yamaguchi: What time should I come over?

It doesn’t take long for Tsukki to respond.

17:28 Tsukki~: Isn’t the essay in english? I can help you

17:28 Tsukki~: You can come over now

Panic floods Tadashi’s brain. Tsukki can not, can not, read his essay. If he did, Tadashi would die on the spot. So Tadashi does the rational thing and declines immediately.

17:29 yamaguchi: I’m good! See you in a few

17:30 Tsukki~: okay

~2 months later~

Tadashi was sitting at lunch with his friends, Yachi and Tsukki. They were talking about Yachi’s plans with digital designing and art. She was on the fence trying to decide where to go, the closer college or the one where her girlfriend was. Yachi was trying to show the different schools but got distracted and ended up showing memes she had saved to her phone. This prompted Tadashi to pull out his phone and show the memes he had saved, but a notification caught his attention. It was an email from… it was an email from the college! Tadashi’s eyes went wide.

“Oh my god.” Tadashi said. He opened the email as fast as he could. The only thing slowing him down was the fact that his hands were shaking in anticipation.

“What is it?” Yachi asked, concerned. Both his friends' eyes were trained on him as he read the email. 

“Oh my god!” Tadashi repeated. Con- Congratulations! We would like to welcome you to… Tadashi reads. He looked up to his friends' worried eyes and let out a tiny laugh. “I got in.” He said, still in disbelief. 

“To the college?” Yachi asks, getting ready to celebrate. Tadashi laughs again, smiling wider than he has been in a while.

“Yeah! And-” Tadashi kept reading… no way. “ I got a full ride!” Tadashi said and began laughing. 

Yachi squeaks in celebration and starts clapping. She then goes on about how Tadashi is going to do well over there. But Tadashi doesn’t hear her. All he hears is the word Tsukki says quieter than Yachi’s rambling.

“Congratulations.” Tsukki said with a small smile. 

~present time~

Now Tadashi sits on the edge of his bed after a long day with his two best friends. He looks around at his empty room. His luggage for tomorrow sits on the floor, still open for the last minute things to be packed. I am leaving. He thinks sadly. As if on cue, his phone buzzes.

22:34 Tsukki~: What time are we leaving tomorrow?

Oh Tsukki, always so predictable. Tsukki had promised that he would send off Tadashi at the airport. Yachi really wanted to as well, but she had an early class so she couldn’t stay up late. Both Tsukki and Yachi had already started college. Tadashi didn’t have to leave until now, and he had two days to get used to his surroundings. 

22:35 yamaguchi: Technically we are leaving tonight

22:35 yamaguchi: but 11:45

Tadashi had to be early to the airport and such, which meant they had to leave late at night. Of course Tsukki wasn’t going to say goodbye until his actual flight left. That didn’t make Tadashi feel anything though. Definitely not. 

22:37 Tsukki~: alright

Tadashi then brushes his teeth and packs the last few things. He changes into comfy clothes too. He’s going to be traveling for over 20 hours, so he doesn’t want to be too ‘fashionable’ as Tsukki would put it. Not long after Tadashi had finished packing he heard his front door open and his mother greet Tsukki. He heard Tsukki greet both his parents and then make his way up the stairs into Tadashi’s room. 

“Hey.” Tsukki says. He looks around Tadashi’s empty room with a sigh. “Wow.” Tadashi giggles.

“I know right.” Tadashi looks around his room sadly. Suddenly it really hits him that he won’t see this room for a long time. Tsukki must pick up on this because he bumps Tadashi with his arm. 

“You’ll be fine.” Tsukki says, a smile barely there. Tadashi shrugs and they stand in silence looking around the empty room. Almost all traces of Tadashi are gone. His pictures and books all packed away. The sheets on his bed are his least favorite, meaning he had packed the others. His desk was plain, no artwork or drawings remained. His Twice posters were missing from his closet door. Everything felt… lifeless. 

The boys hadn’t realized how long they had been standing because they both jumped when Tadashi’s mother called for them. It was time to go. Time to leave. Tadashi, Tsukki and his parents packed his bags and piled into the car. Since Tadashi had a lot to take with him he had to sit right next to Tsukki. He didn’t mind this though. He noticed Tsukki hadn’t brought his headphones though.

“Tsukki, where are your headphones?” Tadashi asked, confused. Tsukki did not respond with words. He simply pulled out two pairs of earbuds and a headphone splitter. Tadashi watched as Tsukki carefully pulled out his phone and plugged in the headphone splitter then the two sets of earbuds. Tsukki offers one pair to Tadashi. The boys place them in their ears, Tadashi’s parents already in conversation ignoring the two. 

“What do you want to listen to?” Tsukki asks, opening his music app. A grin makes its way onto Tadashi’s face. 

“Twice?” Tadashi asks. Tsukki rolls his eyes.

“It’s too late for Twice.” Tsukki says. 

“It’s never too late for Twice.” Tadashi retorts. 

“Yes it is. I get to choose now.” Tsukki says, selecting one of his quieter playlists. 

“Whatever Tsukki.” Tadashi giggles. He then holds out his hand to Tsukki, who sends him a side look. 

“What?” Tsukki asks, edge in his tone. 

“Give me your glasses.” Tadashi says and motions for them in a ‘gimmie gimmie’ fashion. Tsukki bristles. 

“I’m not going to fall asleep Yamaguchi.” 

“Alright I believe you.” Tadashi did not believe him. Sure enough, Tsukki was passed out in fifteen minutes. Tadashi lets out a small chuckle as he gently removes Tsukki’s glasses from his face. Tadashi folds them up and places them in his lap. He considers resting his head on Tsukki’s shoulder. What the hell. Tadashi decides, placing his head on Tsukki’s shoulder. This may be the last time I get to do this. I’m not going to waste it. 

When they arrive at the airport, Tadashi receives a lot of attitude from Tsukki for taking his glasses. Cute. Tadashi thinks. Tsukki has sleepy eyes and a grumpy little pout. They check in Tadashi’s bags and things that need to go with him. He checks in and everyone goes with him to the gate. They have to wait forty-five minutes for Tadashi to board, so they pass the time by playing Animal Crossing. Tsukki boasts that his island is better, but Tadashi has the best villagers. Eventually it is time for Tadashi to board. His parents fuss over him for a minute and then it’s time to say goodbye to Tsukki. Tadashi looks at his best friend, his everything. He feels tears prick at his eyes but they don’t fall.  
“Don’t do anything stupid.” Tsukki says. This gets a laugh out of Tadashi, who gives in and pulls Tsukki into a hug. At first Tsukki’s arms hover around Tadashi, then they wrap around his shoulders tightly. This time tears do fall, from both boys. As they come apart they wipe at their eyes. 

“Goodbye Tsukki.” Tadashi says.

“Goodbye… Yamaguchi.” For a moment Tadashi thought Tsukki was about to use his given name, but he didn’t. Tadashi gives his parents and Tsukki a wave as he enters the plane and finds his seat. Once he is settled he looks at his phone. There is a text waiting for him.

02:04 Tsukki~: I will miss you

Tadashi smiles. 

02:04 yamaguchi: me too


	2. Life is moving can't you see

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this took a real long time but it's here! college do be kicking my butt... once I'm done with exams I should update more frequently!!!! Thank you for waiting!

Tadashi was lucky to get a window seat. He had never been on a plane before and he was excited to see it take off. It was dark out though, which meant Tadashi might not be able to see it as well as he would have liked. After he got Tsukki’s text, he turned his phone on airplane mode. No more texts from Tsukki or Yachi would appear until he landed in California. No. You are not allowed to think about Tsukki like that. You are going to move on. Tadashi thought to himself. Whether or not he was going to make that last statement true was a problem for later. He was going to focus on school and speaking english.

Tadashi decided he wasn’t going to be able to sleep just yet, so he pulled out his switch once again. He figured he could get some much needed work done on his island. At that point a man with a laptop case stopped in front of Tadashi’s row. He placed his carry on above the seats and then settled down into the seat next to Tadashi. This made Tadashi nervous so he shrank into himself, not wanting to upset the man. The man glanced at Tadashi and then his switch. After that the man didn’t give Tadashi another look. He promptly pulled out an eye mask and earplugs. Not his first flight then. Tadashi thought. His attention went back to his switch and his animal crossing island. 

When the plane actually began to take off, Tadashi’s stomach flipped. The man next to him chuckled at his nervousness. Tadashi did not appreciate that. His hands were gripping the arm rests tightly and his eyes were glued to the window. He was anticipating a failure at any second. Failure did not come and the plane evened out nicely. Tadashi let out a breath of relief and the exhaustion of his day finally caught up with him. The man next to him had already fallen asleep with his eye mask and earplugs. Tadashi rubbed his eyes and allowed himself to nod off. He was going to need the sleep.

~

Kei woke up when the Yamaguchis’ car pulled up next to his house. He thanked Yamaguchi’s parents and made his way up to his front door. His neck was sore from sleeping in the car. Kei gave a final wave as he stepped into the house and gently closed the door behind himself so as to not wake his parents. Kei then sleepily removed his shoes and lumbered upstairs to his room. He brushed his teeth and fell into bed, all energy gone. The clock read about 4 am as he placed his glasses on his night stand. He would have to be up in six hours in order to go back to his college. Kei let out a groan, rolled over, and passed out as soon as his eyes were closed. 

The next morning, Kei’s mother woke him gently and urged him to get ready to return to his college. Kei barely ate breakfast and threw what he had brought from college back into his bag. He was only visiting for this weekend so he could say goodbye to Yamaguchi. Yamaguchi. Kei thought. He picked up his phone so quickly he ended up throwing it to the floor. With a grimace, Kei picked up his phone hoping for a text from Yamaguchi. When he pressed the on button his phone, in fact, did not turn on. 

“No.” Kei groaned. In his eagerness to sleep last night, he hadn’t plugged in his phone. This dampened his mood substantially. Now Kei would have to talk with his mother before he left. He would have to wait for his phone to charge before he could leave, giving mother ample time to investigate. It’s not like he didn’t want to talk to his mother, it’s only that she would ask questions about last night. Kei really didn’t want to talk about last night. The fact that Yamaguchi was leaving didn’t hit him until he arrived at his house before they left. He wasn’t going to be able to text him and receive a message in minutes. He wasn’t going to be able to visit him when school work let up. He wouldn’t get to hear his stupid jokes. He wouldn’t get to play animal crossing with him. He’s gone. Kei thought bitterly. 

Kei sat impatiently in the kitchen waiting for his phone to charge when his mother walked in. She smiled at him and came around to face him. She gave him a ‘motherly’ look and sighed.

“How much sleep did you get?” She asked, pointing out his eyebags.

“Enough.” Kei grumbled, hoping to keep the talking to a minimum. 

“Right.” His mother said knowingly. “So,” She begins, “how was last night?” Kei cringes inwardly. 

“It was uneventful.” Kei said. He hoped to end the conversation there, but his mother had other plans.

“Oh come on, my baby boy won’t tell me how his heartfelt farewell with his best friend went?” She said, teasingly. “Did you shed a tear as he left you?”

“How did you know about that?” Kei snapped. His mother just smiled. Dammit, Kei thought. 

“So you are going to miss Tadashi then?” She asked. Kei could tell she was proud of reading him like a book. Then again she was his mother. 

“Yes mom, I am.” His words came out bitterly and anyone could tell that this was a touchy subject. Kei’s patience was gone and it wasn’t even noon yet. She didn’t respond to that, she just sighed at Kei. She stepped around to his side then and opened her arms. Kei’s face scrunched up, but he still fell into his mothers arms. He appreciated the hug, but refused to admit it. 

“You’re going to be fine. You two have been at each other's sides since childhood, he’s not going to forget about you.” His mother reassured him.

“What if he doesn’t want to anymore?” Kei asked. He hadn’t let himself actually think about what would happen when Yamaguchi left. There were all these unknowns that flooded Kei’s brain to the point where he just wanted to turn his emotions off. Although it seemed like Kei could do just that, it was really that he could mask what he was feeling. Yamaguchi could always see through it though. 

“Kei.” His mother said. “Stop being so dramatic. You can still send him messages! Oh but remember, don’t use his number.” She pulled back so she could look into his eyes. “Use something that uses the internet to send messages. We don’t want his bill skyrocketing because you miss him!” Kei’s mother teased.

“Yeah yeah I know.” Kei rolled his eyes, finally being released from his mother’s hold. His phone was charged enough now. “I should leave or I’ll be late.”

“Alright!” His mother gave him one last hug and wished him a good trip. His dad was at work, but Kei would be back in about two weeks. He had already promised since Akiteru would be back that weekend. Conversing with his brother was not one of Kei’s favorite activities, but he would put up with him for his mother’s sake. Not because he cared for his brother. Definitely not.

Kei’s trip back was extremely uneventful. No new texts(messages would be a better word now) from Yamaguchi arrived which meant he still wasn’t in the states yet. To be honest Kei was a little worried about Yamaguchi. Was he going to be okay in America? His english wasn’t bad, but was it good enough to be able to be on his own? Kei needed to stop thinking about Yamaguchi because he was about to go to his calculus class.

He’s going to be fine, stop worrying about him. Kei thought to himself. He didn’t stop thinking about his best friend though.

~

When Tadashi arrived at the airport in the states he felt excited. He got plenty of sleep on the plane and now he was ready to conquer anything. Unfortunately he still had another flight to the other side of the country. Why is this country so damn big? Tadashi thought. His layover was only an hour and instead of playing animal crossing again, he decided to pull out his phone. He sent Yachi and Tsukki each their own “I made it to America!” message. 

His second flight was considerably shorter than his first, but Tadashi still gripped the arm rests as the plane took off. And when he stepped outside the airport once he reached the closest airport to his college it was dark. Tadashi couldn’t go straight to his dorm room, since it was closed. He knew this was going to be a problem before he even left. Tadashi was prepared for this though. He stood waiting at the pick up sidewalk watching the cars pass by. He had his luggage piled onto one of those cart things. Tadashi was hoping that no one would talk to him, so he pulled out his phone.

“Tadashi Yamaguchi?” A voice that sounded familiar called. Tadashi looked up to the source of the voice and found a man smiling at him from his car. This man had silver hair and a mole just below his left eye. He was a very pretty man.

“Y-yes!” Tadashi said. 

“Sweet! Just give me a sec and I’ll help you load up.” Tadashi watched as the man pulled the car into the lane for loading, then proceeded to get out of the car. He approached Tadashi and gave him a big hug. “How was your flight?” He asked.

“It was good. I think.” Tadashi said. 

“Great!” The man then moved to help Tadashi load his things into the back of the car. This man was going to be his mentor for the next year. Tadashi had only heard his name over the phone though. His name was Sugawara Koushi, but he let Tadashi call him Suga.

“I’m going to speak english with you unless you’re having a panic attack or something of similar importance. Is that okay?” Suga said as they both got settled in the car. 

“Yes that is okay.” Tadashi said. He was still a little awkward since he wasn’t expecting Suga to be so good looking. 

They spent the rest of the car ride just catching up and going over what Tadashi could and couldn’t contact Suga about. Feeling depressed? Yes. Lost a finger? No. Things like that. Everything was pretty normal until Suga asked about him.

“So like I want to be your big brother. Do you have siblings?” Suga asked while still driving. Tadashi shrugged. “I’m an only child, but my best friend's older brother was like my older brother too.” Tadashi answered. 

“Cool cool. I can still be your big brother though right?” Suga asked.

“Of course.” Tadashi smiled. 

“A little bit about me,” Suga began, “I’m a teaching major and i have a roommate. He’s out of town visiting family right now so he should be back in a couple days. You get to stay in his room tonight.” Suga said and Tadashi nodded. “If you ever want to hang out or help studying you are more than welcome to come over. Give us a warning though, because Tooru brings people home all the time.” Suga said. Tadashi figured Tooru was the roommate Suga had mentioned

“Oh and I have a massive crush on this guy who I always see around campus. I never get to really talk to him though because I’m always on the other side of campus. I have no idea what major he is. I did see him in the gym once though and oh my god his arms.” Suga finished. “So what about you then?”

Tadashi took a moment to organize his thoughts. “Well, I was captain of my volleyball team last year.” He started.

“That’s really cool!” Suga said. Tadashi began to gain a little more confidence.

“I’m majoring in computer science and I like multimedia design. Other than that I really don’t know who I am.”

“What do you mean?” Concern filled Suga’s voice. 

“I feel like I don’t know who I am.” Tadashi said. That was the first time he said it out loud. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Suga asked. 

“I don’t know.”

“Well I will be here when you’re ready. Let’s get you upstairs.” Suga said pulling the car into a parking space by a tall building. Suga’s apartment building. 

Tadashi and Suga made their way upstairs carrying the luggage and bags. They rode the elevator three floors up to Suga’s apartment. Suga was a junior at the college but lived in an apartment by himself on campus. Tadashi had learned all this in preparation to move to the states. He was going to stay the night here and then move into his dorm with Suga’s help tomorrow. Tadashi’s roommate would move in the day after.

Suga showed Tadashi the room, Tooru’s room, he would be sleeping in and left him to get ready for bed. He pulled out a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt. He slipped out of his plane clothes and into his pajamas. That felt good after the many hours of traveling. Tadashi figured he should brush his teeth then so he didn’t forget later. After he did that he flopped down onto the bed. He was much more tired than he thought he was. Tadashi’s eyes slowly closed as he drifted off to sleep. 

Tadashi didn’t sleep long. He woke to Suga’s voice. 

“Tadashi,” He said softly. “at least get under the covers if you’re going to bed on me early.” Tadashi nodded sleepily and followed Suga’s advice. “See ya in the morning.”

“Good night.” Tadashi said and fell into a deep sleep. He missed the notification from Tsukki.

22:35 Tsukki~: I was starting to think you fell in the ocean

22:35 Tsukki~: But I’m glad you made it

**Author's Note:**

> Oh also, the name of the fic and its chapters came from the song "Yes I'm Changing" by Tame Impala. <\--Wonderful song


End file.
